By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Grandmaster Wesley So sustained his blistering start as he scored 3.5 points in the sixth to 10th rounds to keep his grip of the solo lead in the prelims of the $1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour’s Chessable Masters Sunday.
The Cavite-born So beat Russian Vladislav Artemiev and Spaniard David Anton Guijarro while drawing with Chinese Ju Wenjun, Indian Pentala Harikrishna and fellow American Hikaru Nakamura to stay at the helm with 7.5 points.
It came a day after he scored four points out of the possible five on opening day that was highlighted with triumphs over the United States’ Abhimanyu Mishra, Armenia’s Levon Aronian, and Spain’s Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli.
The world Fischer-Random king and two-time US champion drew with Norwegian Aryan Tari and France’s Alireza Firouzja in the crucial stretch.
Breathing down So’s neck with seven points were Vietnamese Le Quang Liem and Aronian while Nakamura, Firouzja and Azeri Shakhriyar Mamedyarov are just a full point behind with 6.5 points apiece.
So was scheduled to play Le, Mamedyarov, Dutch Jorden van Foreest, and Indians Baskaran Adhiban and Humy Koneru in the last five rounds.
The top eight advanced to the knockout playoff round.
So has a strong chance to win his third title in the Tour and add to his victories in the Skilling Open in November last year and Euro Opera Rapid in February and close in on tour leader Magnus Carlsen, who skipped this event because of the he’s still playing in the ongoing Chess World Cup 2021 in Sochi, Russia.
